Through the Eyes of a Cat
by Tsukasa Fan
Summary: What exactly were Morganna's motives to imprison Tsukasa in The World? Follow Macha's point of view and see what she really had to say about this all along.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

"The proof that you were alive… the proof that I really loved you… I want her to be… in tangible form…"

"HARALD!" a gruff female voice interrupted the soft spoken man angrily, as he talked idly to himself. He stopped what he was working on and drew a breath.

"What is it, Morganna?"

"Harald, What Are You Doing?"

"Working, Morganna. My darling daughter AI is almost complete. I'm certain that that she would have loved this little girl as much as I loved her, my beloved."

"You Are A Delusional Fool. She Never Loved You. She Never Even Knew You Existed!" the man chuckled a bit, looking up,letting his long, wavy, white hair dangle behind him.

"Oh how wrong you are, Morganna. I have proof she was alive. Proof that I loved her so. In her loving memory, I dedicate our daughter to her." there was a grunt of frustration.

"That Thing's Presence Proves Nothing But The Fact That You Are But A Desperate Man, Seeking The Affections Of A Woman Who No Longer Walks Among The Living."

"She proves something to me." Harald let out a sigh as he looks over the character model with great satisfaction. "Her name is Aura… She will become the newest goddess-like presence in this world. Pure of heart, the knowledge to act justly and protect this world from harm. She will be the finest AI I've ever built." suddenly, Harald's workspace went black, and Morganna's voice booming shriek was in his ears.

" _ **I AM YOUR GREATEST AI!**_ "

"Calm down, Morganna, you are still a great AI, but being omnipresent is easier to program than a character model, and I wanted to get in touch with my creative side." In that moment a surge of electricity shot through Harald's headset, shocking him violently where he sat at his computer, until he slumped onto his desk unconscious.

"The Nerve Of That Man! Trying To Replace Me?! The Greatest AI The World Has Ever Known?! I'll Show Him! This Pet Project Of His Will Be His Undoing!" the computer corrected itself, and Aura's files were being uploaded into The World's database. "Macha!" Morganna called in a sharp, commanding tone. Within a restricted, unfinished field of The World, an Anthropomorphic cat pricks up her ears and turns her head skyward. Morganna's voice came back, but this time in a sickeningly sweet tone, "Macha, dearest Macha... Harald Was Creating A New AI, but had an… unfortunate accident… I'm going to finish her myself. I have a job for you, my dear. I want you to go out, and find the most pathetic player in this game. I want you to extract some of their data, and leave the rest to me."

Macha looks puzzled for a moment, but shrugs and gives a slight nod.

"As you wish, Mistress."

 **A/N: Hey, y'all. So I got inspired for a new .hack/sign fan fiction, and I want to make sure you know right off the bat: most of this story won't be canon, but will follow the Canon time line. The prologue is merely a theory on what happened, as I am not aware if Morgana has a Canon back story. Macha is going to speak in this fic, because it is from her POV, and it's obvious that Tsukasa understands her as is she was talking. I hope you enjoy this take on what happened. Just know that it may contain canon spoilers to the anime, so if you haven't watched it, you've been warned.**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy it.**


	2. Episode 0: Victim

Episode 0

Victim

"To find the most pathetic player… what does that entail? Low level? Low self-esteem?" I ask.

"Find A Player Who Has Their Life In Shambles. A Weak, Defenseless Person. I Wish To Know Human Pain And Suffering, Macha. We Are Merely Code. Lines Upon Lines Of Ones And Zeros. That Much I Understand. But We Are Intelligent. We Find Solutions To Complex Problems. I Wish For Aura To Know Pain. To Know Suffering. Only Then Will She Become Someone I Could Use." I give a slight nod. I'm still pretty unsure of what she wants exactly, but I'm willing to do my very best.

I jump from one field to the next, being careful not to be seen. Cat Player Character models aren't available in The World, so to the others I'm seen as an illegal character mod. Thankfully, I can float and fly a little, so I can avoid being spotted… sometimes.

" _Remember, Macha, When You See Your Target, Touch Them. I Have Installed Software On Your Hands So That You May Be Able To Pick Up Trace Pieces Of Data."_

Morganna's words echo in my head as I scan each field and eavesdrop on each party. I keep thinking I'm onto something, but many of these kids just seem angsty. I don't sense any legitimate source of turmoil, just groanings on about how unfair life is, but then they say something worthwhile and I have to let them go.

Perhaps I was looking in the wrong places? Maybe to find my target, I should look among the single players, not players who seem to have friends in here. That seemed to be the most logical plan of action.

Single players were few and far between. Most of them were newbies and just starting to figure things out, while others were experienced level grinders, and probably had no life outside their game, or at least not enough to be bothered by it.

This was frustrating. The more I looked, the more this cause seemed to be hopeless. Maybe Mistress Morganna had one idea too big this time. She believes it though, that there is a player out there who just cannot stand life and wishes to retreat it, to get as far away from reality as possible. The essence of true despair. All to make Aura know human pain.

I decided to skulk around in a level 8 dungeon on a field in the theta server. I could easily slip in and out of rooms and past barriers set up to trap players in a monster room. This was especially handy if I were to be spotted, because Players couldn't follow after me. To them, I was merely a figment of their imaginations, or an assumed bug in the system.

Today the dungeon was unusually empty. Normally, I'd be able to find some eager, level grinding newbies in a dungeon like this. I floated from room to room. Floor to floor. Nobody was around… It was on to the next field, I thought, but then I heard the distinctive noise of a sprite ocarina. There was someone here, and they just left. I quickly warped out into the field, to the mouth of the dungeon, and that's where I found him.

A lone wavemaster? How peculiar. Usually the wavemaster class travels in parties, not alone. I admired the kid's spunk, that's for sure. Its pretty gutsy to rely on magic without backup, what with the MP meter always draining, the possibilities of the spell getting interrupted by attacking monsters before it is cast, and the lack of melee options… This kid was definitely playing on hard mode… And yet… the silver haired wavemaster seemed less than thrilled. He seemed annoyed. I has taken him for a thrill-seeker, but there was something behind those violet eyes that send me some red flags.

Him. He was the one. He was the one Mistress Morganna was searching for. He had to be. He didn't carry himself with much confidence or clout. He seemed listless and bored.

I wanted to be absolutely sure he was the one, so I followed him. He roamed the field aimlessly, almost running into a few magic portals before pulling out a Fairy's Orb. It became clear to me that he was avoiding all monsters if possible. So he wasn't looking to level up? That was odd. Did this mean he was a Roleplayer? If he was, he would need a group, wouldn't he? I let him trudge on ahead for a moment as I pondered. Maybe he was waiting for his party? I really hoped not, because then all my theories would be useless. He needs to be friendless. Please let him be friendless...

I floated after him once more. Checking my system clock, it was well into the wee hours of the morning, and he was still here. As dawn began to break, he finally warped back into the root town of Dun Loireag. I did not follow, no. But, I remembered his Character design, as it wasn't a commonly used pre-set in The World. There were others like him, sure, but his was distinct enough for me to be able to pick him out. I had found him. My Victim.

I warp back into the unpublished field where I took up residence, as I settled down for a brief rest.

"Macha. Where Is My Player?"

"He logged off, Mistress, but I got a lock on him. He's absolutely perfect, Mistress, Just as you asked for."

"Why Isn't He Here Now?" Morganna's voice was a bit angry, but I shrugged her off.

"Relax, Mistress. I merely wanted to be sure it was him. The one you've been waiting for. No sense sending you information on a useless Player Character, am I right?"

"True… Very Well, Macha, You Have Served Me Well. Be Sure To Get His Data For Me During His Next Login," Morganna's voice was softer, much more of a purr than before, "You Are Dismissed For Now, Macha." I close my eyes with a smirk. Making Mistress Morganna happy was something I took great pride in.

Evening began to fall, and I took to watching the Chaos Gate in the root town of Dun Loireag from a safe position off the cliff behind the gate. Nobody looks over this ledge, they are all too busy coming and going, leaving swiftly to the shops, Elf Haven, and saving area. I could watch all night without the slightest bit of suspicion. Countless players filed in and out of the gate. Watching all of the warping graphics at once were enough to make me dizzy, but I remained ever steadfast. I must catch him logging in.

After hours of waiting, he arrived- Thank Hebiguso. He wasted no time jumping to a field, and when he did, I managed to listen extra close to the words he chose and followed after him.

The field I arrived at was littered with mushrooms that towered above me like trees. A musty scent was in the air of decaying wood and damp dirt. I followed close behind. I could appreciate the way the field was rendered, as it was so real I had forgotten it was merely code. Harald was truely a genius.

The Wavemaster stopped in his tracks.

" _This is my chance,"_ I thought to myself, " _All I must do now, is touch him."_

I reach out my hand. My fingers nearly touch his shoulder…

"Who are you?!" I was face to face with his staff shoved in my face. He had spun around before I could retrieve his data. "Leave me alone!" he growls, thrusting the staff closer to my face. I wasn't sure how to properly respond to such hostility. Calmly, and slowly, I push his staff aside. I say nothing, but I study his face. "Go away!" I take the opportunity to put my hand on his shoulder, full palm.

My eyes widen as I felt a pulsating sensation throughout my body. I saw his data flash before my eyes. Everything. I saw moments in time within the game as if they were memories. I saw how he played the game. I saw his level… after so much time of gameplay, he was merely a newbie level. But… why?

I blinked and his scowl came into focus. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Don't be Afraid…" I say, as sweetly as I could manage. He stares back at me, dumbfounded, "I am here to help you." I outstretch my arms and then let them rest at my sides. He stared at me, not knowing what to say in return. Not exactly knowing my own plan of action, I hand him a healing item and back off. "You have… umm… triggered a rare event! Take this potion as your prize!"

"Not much of a prize."  
"Hey, I said it was a rare event, not a useful one!" cheeky little brat. I shake my head and warp away through a haze.

I return to the closed field, curling my tail with delight, "Mistress, I have done exactly as you asked! Did you receive the data?" There was a moment of silence, and for a moment I thought I was alone. I wander over to Aura and look her over, nothing has changed.

"Excellent Work, Macha. Yes, I Received The Data… Of Little Tsukasa."

"Tsukasa? That's his name?" my ear flicks as i plop myself down upon the grass and turn my head upward.

"Yes, Macha. And This Data Is Absolutely Perfect. I Can Feel It… Did You Feel It?"

"Yeah, it was weird. It was… pulsating."

"Yes. This Data Is Perfect."

"So, now that you have his data files, what are you going to do with it?"

"I Wish To Make A Perfect Copy Of Him. I Shall Link The Copy To Aura. She Will Then Know True Suffering. True Pain. True Despair." Her words were smooth and calm. She sure knew what she was doing. I nod in agreement as I sprawl out upon the ground.

"Glad to hear it, Mistress. Good luck with that whole copy thing."


End file.
